“Did fitness happen today?”

I listen to the Varied, Not Random podcast with OG CrossFitters and hosts Pat Sherwood and Adrian Bozman (both were at my Level 1 certification back in 2007) and at the start of the episode they often ask each other “Did fitness happen today?”. They describe the workout session they did that day and it can vary from a structured in-class session to a quick, sweaty bout of two simple movements done in the garage between other commitments. What stands out to me is the expectation that yes, fitness will or did happen today, and what qualifies as fitness doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be done!

When I tell someone that changing their fitness can change their life, yes, there is the improved health benefit that comes with it. There is also a difference in how that life gets lived too. A fit life looks different, especially by society’s norms. Choosing to make physical exercise a priority, eating more vegetables instead of junky or ‘convenience’ food, building friendships that connect around activity instead of indulgence, not using food as a reward, these choices stand in contrast to modern day attitudes such that those who do them appear to be extreme. That person gets called a health nut! Why can’t healthy habits and practices be the norm? They really should be!

Did you practice fitness today?

The name of this blog is Practice Fitness Daily, and of course there is a reason for that. Fitness should not be an occasional thing we do, it needs regularity and consistency to be effective. If we want to get better at something, we need to practice it. In practice we can make mistakes and even accept imperfection. How limited would it be if I called it Perfect Fitness Daily? How hard would it be if healthy fitness habits had to be perfect in order to be effective? Do we ever see in our own attitudes, if it can’t be done without mistakes, I won’t do it. Or, we try to change all the habits at once because we want faster results, despite the fact it is so hard to sustain many different changes all at once in the short term. Frustrating!

Practice is accessible. Practice is sustainable. 

“Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom”

― Jim Rohn

People often wish for things to be easier. The difficulties associated with getting fit have an irony, they usually make many of life’s difficulties easier!  We do better when we are better, we earn skills by working through problems, and we gain wisdom when we practice those skills to overcome challenges. The above quote is great because it suggests the need for a change of attitude toward struggles. But there is one thing missing. 

Action. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Enter Practice. 

Practice: ‘to perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve or maintain proficiency’.

Did you practice your fitness today?

What are ways one can practice fitness during the course of the day? It is more than getting exercise. Being fit includes how we eat, recover, manage stress and connect because these provide support for our physical efforts. Yes, training and exercise lead the way yet we can practice different elements of fitness even when not at the gym!

A fit person alters his or her environment to succeed. Anticipate the obstacle and plan around, or double down on the essentials. Altering the environment could be setting up the workout clothes so they are ready to be put on first thing in the morning. It could be keeping frozen veggies in the freezer so they can be quickly steamed and added to a meal. It could be keeping tempting “red light” treats inaccessible or out of the house. It could also be getting leverage on yourself to follow through on getting that workout done – have a workout buddy, pay a gym membership or coach so you are not relying only on willpower and motivation. 

Ultimately, no one can do your practice for you. A sense of ownership is required. Own where you are right now and recognize that you can make effective changes, and only you can make them. Then get started, choose an action to take and practice it. Not sure where to start? Our coaches are great at cutting through the noise and distractions to find that first step! 

What do you think happens for a person that strives to practice even a little bit of fitness every single day for a solid year?

Start here

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